Something (healthy) for the weekend
(Date:14 January 2011)

---

 




Wagamama is officially one of the mylunch offices favourite lunch treats! We make the pilgrimage to the South King St. venue at least once a week, and we’re practically known by name in there now!


Waga is also a firm favourite with singing celebs and Irish rugby players, and the main reason for this, (besides the delicious food obviously) is that it’s also a healthy option!
With a stated aim 'to combine great, fresh and nutritious food in an sleek yet simple setting with helpful, friendly service and value for money', Waga really is a great option for the savvy lunch eater, and for those of us who have pledged to eat healthily for the New Year
Now we gave away two Wagamama cookbooks on the blog just before Christmas, but if you didn’t manage to win one of those, well we’ve a treat for you, an exclusive recipe!
Chicken Ramen is a classic favourite on the menu, and personally, I would eat it for every meal if I could! So if you fancy something healthy, but very very tasty to make this weekend, then read on, because we’re about to tell you how! Plus, you could apply for a job as a Waga chef if things go well!

You will need

• 12 pieces menma (canned bamboo shoots), drained
• 2 pak choi, trimmed and roughly chopped (or 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves)
• 1 litre of chicken or vegetable stock
• 250g (9oz) ramen noodles
• Vegetable oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced

Instructions
Preheat the grill, and while waiting, lightly oil and season the chicken breasts. Grill these for 4 minutes on each side (or until cooked through) and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
When cooled, slice on the diagonal and set aside

Now on to the noodles! In a large pan of boiling water boil the noodles for 2-3 minutes, until just tender.
Drain, refresh under cold running water and divide between two bowls.
Next heat the chicken or vegetable stock until boiling. put the pak choi on top of the noodles and ladle in the stock.
Finally, top with the sliced chicken, menma and spring onions, and serve with a garnish of garlic!
It’s so easy, but yet so so tasty, and healthy too!

On the other hand if you want to take the lazy option, then you can drop into one of the three Wagamama venues in Dublin + Cork, and have a delicious bowl of Ramen served up to you, washed down with a vitiman packed juice!
Oh and by the way, if you’re a signed up member of Wagamama online, you can get this recipe and many many more. See here for all the info, and sign up is quick and easy.

You can also befriend Waga on Facebook, where you can avail of an exclusive monthly deal through their offers tab!

Related Tags: mylunch.ie, lunch, Asian, value lunch, lunch deals, Wagamama, Wagamama Cork, Wagamama Blanchardstown, Wagamama Dublin 2, noodles, cookbook, recipe, Wagamama,
 

Watercooler Moments!

Originally Posted: http://www.mylunch.ie/layout/Content_Details.cfm/ck/58/ctk/35/k/1584
So you’ve been living under a rock for the weekend, and now you’re out of the loop on all the gossip this morning?

Well our new weekly segment will soon put that right. As you know, we like to keep our finger on the pulse of the world of lunch, but also on the pulse of the world in general.

So if you get stuck for conversation while making tea this morning, or if you need something to talk about over lunch, here’s some carefully chosen conversation points from the weekend, all wrapped up in one post!

Matt wins X Factor

The 27 year old former painter and decorator was flagged as a possible winner from the start, and, much to the dismay of millions of 13 year old girls (One Direction), and presumably thousands of people with bad Liverpudlian accents (Rebecca) he was crowned winner of X Factor last night. Cardle sang "Many of Horror" by Scottish band Biffy Clyro last night, which is to be released next week, and is sure to be heading for a Christmas #1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlNvP1t02Y8

To be discussed with: Any female in the office, and any male whom you suspect to be a closet X Factor fan (of which there are many!)



Paul O Connell sees red on his return to action

Channeling some of that “manic aggression” that he is so famous for right onto the cheek of Ospreys player Jonathan Thomas proved to be a futile exercise for “Paulie” yesterday, as he got himself sent off. Following a tug back from the Ospreys player, O Connell proceeded to throw his right arm back and connected with the player. He was carded to much hostility from the Thomond crowd, and is set to miss next weekend’s return game, and all the festive action too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O8s5J9yjxg

To be discussed with: Any red blooded male in the office, and anyone who likes a good scrap!



Christmas is coming!

With only one shopping weekend left until Christmas, people all over the country are panicking over which tea towel to get Granny, and which tie to get Dad.

You are sure to be asked 400 times within the next 12 days “Have you all your presents bought?”, so be sure to get in first with that little chestnut today!

Try out a nifty little Irish site called out gifts.ie if you’re still at a loss over what to get that special someone in your life.

To be discussed with: Anyone who has that look of Xmas panic on their face today!



Oh and if you really get stuck for small talk today, just ask someone if they reckon your likelier to be a hit with the opposite sex if you use a horse for transport rather than a car. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then search Youtube for Rubberbandits' viral video phenomenon!

And the winners are...

Originally Posted: http://www.mylunch.ie/layout/Content_Details.cfm/ck/58/ctk/35/k/1582

And so the time has come!

We’ve had begging, cajoling and even threatening. There’s been tears, drama, sob stories and tugging at heart strings, and we’ve been overloaded with emails asking for information.

But enough about the mylunch Xmas party, we've also had hundreds of entries in a bid to win a bundle of four tickets to 7UP Christmas on Ice this week!

There’s been Blades of Glory jokes, bad puns, descriptions of special ice skating moves and no shortage of memories of childhood skates, and Dad trying to fit into that spandex suit one last time (these ones have been passed on the our resident psychologist!)

For the past 2-3 weeks, you’ve been practising and practising, skating around on the natural ice, and now that the thaw has hit us, all of that practice is about to come to fruition on artificial ice!

The winners of bundles of four tickets for 7UP Christmas on Ice are...


RDS : Hilary Weldon, Karen Hill, Laura Elliot, Ciaran O Farrell, Sheenagh Rogers

Arnotts: Aaron Chalke, Andrew Comerford, Claire Young, Denise Moakler, Belinda Meaghan



The tickets can be used any time from now unitl 9th of January, and the winners will be contacted by email early on Monday.

Congrats to all who were lucky enough to come out of the hat!



For those who were unlucky enough not to be picked by the resident office database monkey, don’t worry, we’ve a brand new competition every week, and some of our lunch deals feel like you’ve won the lotto anyway, so console yourself with those!

Oh and if you had you’re heart set on doing an old 180 twist on the ice, well you can still book on the 7UP site, for both the RDS and Arnotts (and it is a magical experience!)

Happy weekend and check back on Monday for even more lunch deals!

Mylunch Newsletter 8th December

mylunch.ie news 8/12/10

Welcome to the world of tomorrow... The new and vastly improved mylunch.ie is now live, so do come take a look at our new baby!

We've made a huge overhaul, making our site much easier for you to navigate, and very simple to find lunch value!
We've added features like a vastly improved search area (including keyword box), specific categories for you to find exactly what you want, info for vegetarians, coeliacs etc.  and a new news area, called "The Lunchbox", as well as adding more and more Special Lunch Offers!

Of course we'd love to hear what what you think good or bad! The best feedback will win a free lunch on us!

To help launch and wet the head of the new site, 7UP have kindly given us 40 (YES 40!) tickets to 7UP on Ice to give away this week. (20 for RDS and 20 for Arnotts). So if you fancy getting your skates on, and practicing your new found ice balancing skills, simply mail 7UP@mylunch.ie with your preferred venue and name, or see here for all the details!

What's the news on site this week?
Cafe en Seine on Dawson St has a 2 for 1 mylunch offer on their new lunch menu! This must end on December 15th, so get printing now. The new menu sounds delicious, and what better way to beat the budget eh?? Oh and see below for our Cafe en Seine competition this week...
Beshoffs on O Connell Street also have a new 2 for 1 on mylunch.ie, we're racking them up! You can get two for one on all main dishes on Mon-Wed. A vinegar soaked fish and chips sounds quite good!
The ever cheery Hugo at Cafe Azteca has given us another special voucher. His hugely popular cookery classes are tremendous fun, and teach you to cook the Mexican way. So, to cheer us all up, when you buy any burrito, and present our voucher, you can avail of these classes for free, starting in January. All the details can be found on The Lunchbox here.
Finally, brand new on site, The Grafton Lounge have a new offer: Buy any main course from their delicious lunch menu, and get a second for half price! Tasty!

Brand New Competition!
For the first comp on our new site, Cafe en Seine is celebrating their brand new lunch menu.

With a new 2 for 1 on site, we'd love for you to drop down to Dawson Street, and take the menu for a trial run. With a European flavour, and dishes ranging from Antipasti to their patented steak sandwich, you'd be mad not to!

The prize this week is a meal for two and bottle of house wine for Cafe en Seine,
so go to our new comp page now to enter, and watch out for those database monkeys!

The Lunchbox Latest
As you'll see on the new site, we've added a new blog area called "The Lunchbox" where we shall be posting all our news on deals, offers, comps and anything else which tickles our fancy, including small furry animals. Here's the latest posts this week:

Learn how to lunch Mexican style
In which we curse the budget, link to a Spice Girls song, give you free cooking lessons, and explain how Munchies Drumcondra workers love bodily contact.

Our Beautiful New Baby
In which we give away our favourite Simpsons character, reveal which of our team is the worst speller, and tell you how you can win free lunch by simply telling us where you like to eat!

Dancing on Ice, a topical subject!
In which we talk about your Dad in spandex, ice skating on a roof, and South Dublin Winter Olympic Champion mating rituals.

So, does any of this interest you? Well then, dive into the Lunchbox!

2-For-1 Lunch Quick Links

Check out the great 2-For-1 lunch offers available now in the following venues:

Cafe en Seine (Dawson Street)
Sweeneys (Dame Street)
West Coast Coffee (Various)
Beshoff (O Connell Street)

Gourmet Burger Kitchen (Various)
Millers Restaurant (Baggot St Upper)
The Beacon (Sandyford)
Pacino's (Suffolk St)
Oil Can Harrys (Lr Mount St)
The Ocean Bar (Grand Canal Quay)
The Iveagh Restaurant at The Camden Court Hotel
Dandelion (St. Stephens Green)
Gourmet Burger Co. (Ranelagh)

Sign Up To Our Newsletter
If one of your friends was thoughtful enough to send you on this newsletter, then why not sign up yourself and stay up to date on all the latest offers and info from mylunch.ie.

To sign up, just click here

Feck off Budget!!

Though we’re solely apolitical here in the mylunch office (yeah right!), on days like today, we like to crusade for the plight of the common lunch eater.

So to tell Cowen and Lenihan where to go, and beat the “Budget Blues” today, the ever cheery Hugo at Cafe Azteca has given us the offer of “Buy any burrito, and you can sign up for our cookery classes FOR FREE!"
The classes run weekly, and will start again in January, so why not make it your New Years resolution to learn to cook the Mexican way, and spice up your life. (I dare you to click that link!)

You can check out the happy faces from previous cookery classes on the Azteca Facebook, and take it from me, Hugo will have you cooking with a smile!

Ingredients (which Hugo purchases for you) are generally around €15, depending on what is being cooked, and you will be left with a fantastic dish, which you can be very proud of.
See the Azteca page for the voucher, and check their menus out too!

On a more immediate Budget bashing note, Munchies Baggot St. and Munchies Drumcondra are both offering 2 for 1 on all coffees, all day today (Tuesday).

The Drumcondra branch has also promised free hugs to all who avail of the offer, in a bid to cheer us up, so be sure to ask for yours!

Oh and of course, we have a great 2 for 1 on West Coast Coffee on site too.

Now put that in your Current Account Deficit and smoke it Fianna Fail!

Mylunch, too sexy for it's shirt!

You may have noticed recently that the Cork area of our site is becoming increasingly populated. Well that’s because Ireland’s only lunch value site is moving to the fair rebel county! So enlighten all your fair country friends and colleagues that we are coming, and their lunchtime habits will never be the same again!

We’ve already added new exclusive vouchers for Wagamama Cork (2 for 1!) and Capt. Americas (free starter!) and there is lots more where that came from...

To celebrate our move to Cork, we’ve teamed up with Ernst and Young Cork, to help with their E+Y Charity Fashion event! On tonight (Friday 12^th), in the lovely Clarion Hotel Cork city, the event aims to raise much needed funds for Cork Simon Community and The Saoirse Foundation. 

By showing that accountants aren’t all grey suits and calculators, the team hopes to help out those who are feeling even more marginalised by the current economic climate, and, as E+Y Cork managing partner John Higgins states, “We have a fantastic show lined up and will certainly dispel any myths that accountants are dull and boring!"

The fashions will be provided by local Cork retailers, and included in the models strutting their stuff will be Cork hurling star Tom Kenny and former Miss Cork Caroline Crowley, both employees of Ernst + Young. Other guests will include Irish soap stars, and perhaps even a certain few of Bill Cullen’s Apprentices will be along. Rumours that they will be hunting for an E+Y position are as yet unfounded!

We at mylunch are proud to help out with the event, and amongst other things, there will be raffle prizes from some of our new Cork retailers, as well as some of our Cork exclusive vouchers and other goodies available this evening.

Oh and if you do have any country cousins or friends who you know would love to save on delicious lunches, please tell them about mylunch.ie, or ask them to recommend a retailer! Lunch in Cork will never be the same!

(Soon to be seen in Treaty and Tribe cities too, but don’t say we told you...!)

Free Lunch! There is such a thing!

A phrase we often like to use is: “There may be no such thing as free lunch, but we’ve got the next best alternative”.

However, no more shall this old chestnut be in play, because we can indeed promise you a free lunch this week!
The Tefal Greaseless Spoon Cafe (great name huh?!) pops up this week at 39 South William Street, and is offering FREE LUNCH AND BREAKFAST for three days only (2nd-4th December)
Serving up dishes such as a traditional Irish fry up (with 70% less fat!), chilli con carne and spicy chicken wings, Tefal wants to show you that you can still enjoy all your favourite meals but can cook them in a much healthier way. And isn’t that what we all want? The holy trinity of convenient, healthy and tasty food is now a possibility!

By using Tefal innovations such as the revolutionary Actifry, a fryer unlike no other (1 spoonful of oil is enough for 1 kg of delicious homemade chips) and the Vita Cuisine, which has three steaming compartments to allow healthy steamed meals full of flavour be made all in one go, the Tefal chefs will whip up lunch or breakfast for you!
Having already run very successfully in London (how would free healthy food not be successful?!), The Greaseless Spoon is now open for bookings!

All you have to do is send an email to greaselessspoondublin@gmail.com including your preferred date, time and the number of people in your party, and if it’s available, hey presto! But get in early because space is filling up very, very quickly.

Oh and be sure to become a fan of their Facebook and Twitter pages for all the info and some cool comps over the coming week!

We shall have two free lunch sittings for four to give away on our Facebook during the week, along with another huge Tefal prize in our newsletter on Wednesday.

Now don’t ever say those awful words again, because there is such a thing as a free lunch with mylunch.ie and The Tefal Greaseless Spoon Cafe this week!

Looking for lunch, in your neighbourhood? Who you gonna call?

Ah Halloween! As the old Andy Williams song goes, it’s the most spookiful time, of the year! (Ok maybe not but you get the idea!)
We here at mylunch.ie love it so much that we’ve even changed our logo this week to this little beauty!

Our retailers seem to be getting into the spirit too, and they’ve embraced this most scariest of seasons heartily.
Firstly, on Facebook today, we will be giving away a €20 lunch voucher for whoever gives us the best costume idea.

Competition is stiff, with one of the best so far being dressing up three toddlers as Tic Tacs, so beat that if you can!
You can tell us here.

Burritos and Blues are always ones to rise to an occasion, and on Saturday, they are giving away free Salsa Fries (usually €3.50 and really delish!) to anyone who comes in wearing a costume.
So if you’re in town doing a bit of shopping on Sat, be sure to wear that sexy policewoman/fireman uniform for a free lunch, it’s like trick or treating for adults!

Munchies on Sir John Rogersons Quay and in Millenium Walk are joining in the festivities by offering their “Pumpkin Potion and Monster Munchie” (Pumpkin Soup and a Monster Munchie toasted sandwich) for €6.50 today, and Munchies Central Park offer the same!

In fact all the Munchies, as well as The Vaults, have delicious hearty pumpkin soup on today, so stop in for a sup eh?

While Gourmet Burger Co. (now home of Kobe beef in Dublin!) have a special spooky burger for only €9.95 which sounds both seasonal and delicious: “8oz organic beef burger smothered with suicidal sauce and pumpkin relish”!
Nyom Nyom Nyom!

Oh and don’t forget that Movember starts on Monday so get donating! The mylunch office has taken Burritos and Blues cue and donated their lips to the cause so give anything you can here.

Now if only the mylunch mankinis which the office males are wearing this weekend would arrive...

Grinches Beware!!

Oh come all ye mylunch faithful and let us guide you through the maze of Christmas party bookings!

We know that many of you guys, our lovely lunch users, are currently looking to book a place for your Christmas party. 

We know that the social pressure associated with making the right choice is huge.

We know that there isn’t the same budget there for the annual office shindig that there was in years gone by.

And we know that the thoughts of eating luke warm turkey while wearing a shiny hat and listening to an Abba cover band being drowned out by that guy from Accountings drunken ramblings is enough to ruin anyone’s Christmas!

So let us come to your rescue this year, because though we are the lunch in Dublin kingpins, a lot of you are asking about our retailers Christmas offerings, and who are we to refuse you information eh?!

We’ve been beavering away collecting all the info on party packages and here is the fruits of our labour in all it’s glory, behold:

http://www.mylunch.ie/documents-and-resources/pdfMenus/Mylunchie-Christmas-Party-Brochure

Oh by the way we’ve also secured discounts for anyone mentioning mylunch when booking from lots of these guys, including Cafe en Seine and The Beacon Hotel for example.

You can also check our new tab on Facebook which gives you a direct link to the Christmas Brochure.

There’s something for everyone, from cocktails and Asian in KOH, to dancing in Dandelion, and you can even get free transport from Roganstown House and Country Club if you so wish.

So have a look, mention us while booking and let mylunch and our retailers take the stress out of Christmas office planning! Now all you’ve got to do is sort out the seating plan...!

Enticing aromas, Sardinian Chefs, Wooden Spoons and Itsa...voucher!

It’s been very busy here at mylunch HQ here for the past week or two. As you may know, we’re looking at some exciting new projects in the near future, so apologies for the lack of posts!
So a news post is long overdue, and boy is there a lot of it!

Newbies on the site are coming thick and fast, and we’re giving you more and more options for great value lunch in Dublin!

Just Off Francis, a neighbourhood gem located, yep you’ve guessed it, just off Francis Street, is now up for those in the Dublin 8 area. With an extensive lunch, dinner and weekend brunch menu, JOF is one you should try out, and also offers a take away option if you’re looking for lunch on the run!

I walk to work (well scouring the city for the best lunch deals isn’t really work!) via Parliment Street in Temple Bar, and each and every morning I get drawn to a certain side of the road an the enticing breakfast aroma! The Larder must drag in lots of customers with it’s fantastic smells, and it’s with great pleasure that we welcome them to the site! A great-value city-centre oasis located on the street across from City Hall, The Larder serves quality homemade food to have in or take away throughout the day. Try out the Halloumi Wrap if you are looking for a delicious lunch, or sample the selection of herbal teas on offer if you want to relax and unwind.

Other new cards in the mylunch deck include the Citron Restaurant @ The Fitzwilliam Hotel. Voted the “Best Business Hotel in Dublin 2010”, and overlooking St Stephens Green, Citron is characterised by its colour palate; zesty lime and lemons off set against the chalky white terrazzo and woven white bar front, and this lends to the character of the space, which is also perfect for casual lunch in Dublin.

While if you are located in the north of our fair county, Roganstown Hotel and Country Club is perfect for a lunchtime treat in the countryside! Try their new pizza menu which has been developed with a distinct Italian flavour by Sardinian Head Chef Max Usai.

In terms of special lunch deals, there are many of these cropping up daily too!
Sinnotts Bar (which recently played host to Manic Street Preachers!) now offer a Free Soft Drink with your Lunch Main Course from Mon-Wed.
Green Bistro on Pearse St. (check this place out if you haven’t already!) offer a free Americano or tea on purchase of a main carvery course.
Itsa... on Fitzwilliam Lane (across from Govt. Buildings) offer their Bright Brekkie deal for only €2.50 with our voucher.
While finally, The Wooden Spoon (see the current comp on site to win free lunch here!) have a delectable new lunch voucher of free soup with every sandwich or wrap purchased! Nyom Nyom!

That’s all the news I can squeeze into one blog post, but there is much more going on, and also much much (emphasis on double much!) more going on behind the scenes, so keep your eyes peeled for a new improved mylunch!

Pint of Plain for Mylunch please.

Whether you think Arthur’s Day is a cynical marketing ploy, or a great excuse to toast an Irish hero, one thing is for sure, it’s an enjoyable event, and mylunch and our retailers really got in to the spirit of things this year!

First of all we gave one lucky user five free tickets to see Fight Like Apes play a storming set in Sinnotts Bar. Big congrats to Linda Berrigan and her 4 friends who by all accounts had a great night, and even got a surprise performance from Manic Street Preachers into the bargain! (By the way, check out Sinnotts new lunch voucher, which gives you a free soft drink with your lunch main, and no you can’t exchange it for a pint of the black stuff!)

They say you can’t beat a good hearty lunch for a bit of soakage, and in memorial of Mr Guinness, many of the menus which we got in yesterday also had a twist of the black stuff! JL’s Cafe on Abbey Street had a special quick lunch of a Beef and Guinness Pie for only €6 (this lunch deal runs daily with a different dish too!), while on the other side of town, The Barge did the same.

Lagoona Bar in the IFSC kindly offered mylunch users a pint and a beef and Guinness stew for only 10 quid, (see their page for another voucher!) and Q Bar were enticing a lunch tipple with €3 pints all day!

Burritos and Blues put a Mexican twist on the old Irish drink with it’s delicious Steak and Guinness burrito for only €7, which was very tasty we can tell you, as is everything their menu! Pacinos on Suffolk Street provided the dessert for the party with specially made Guinness Ice Cream for the day, and staying on sweet things, that lovely cupcake and tasty lunch purveyor Lolly and Cooks crowned the mylunch office’s week with a special delivery of Guinness inspired cupcakes, which also flew out the door of Georges Street Arcade all day! These were so popular, and scoffed so quick that we didn’t have time to even take a picture! (See how much we really love food!)
However, we will be sure to take one the next time... (hint hint! :))

And so the big mans 251st came to pass, with rain not dampening revellers spirits, and all we can say is

To Martha Arthur!! To Mylunch!


(Oh and we will still be craving those cupcakes until next year!)

Book now to avoid dissapointment!!

You might not want to think about it yet but the office Christmas Party is on the horizon.
As we all know this is the social event of the office year, and if you’re in charge of booking you hold power unrivalled by any other!

With this power comes great responsibility, and we can help you with this young master! We know our lunch very very well, (check out the hundreds of great lunch deals on the site) but we’ve also drawn up comprehensive listing of all the Christmas party packages on site!

From cocktails in KOH, to dancing in Dandelion, South American flavours in Buenos Aires Grill, to Thai at Kanum, there is something there for every office group, and we guarantee a good night, so have a look and see what your options are.

We’ve also negotiated some discounts with these retailers, so be sure to mention mylunch.ie when you talk to them!

If you have any queries regarding booking please get in touch through hungry [at] mylunch.ie, we’d love to hear from you.

If I’ve managed to put you in a Bah Humbug mood through mention of Christmas then please accept my apologies, here’s a new 2 for 1 lunch voucher to appease you, with plenty more lunch deals on site!